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Compare And Contrast The Crucible And 1996 Movie

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“It is rare for people to be asked the question which puts them squarely in front of themselves” (qtd, in Bigsby xxi). Arthur Miller used his work The Crucible to pose an unwritten question, placing people at the time “squarely in front of themselves,” by comparing the Communist terrors in the 1950s to the Salem Witch Trials in 1692-93. In order to accomplish this hefty task, Miller had to portray each of his characters not only with historical accuracy, but also in a way in which the readers could understand and believe them. There is an ongoing debate over whether the written version of The Crucible or the 1996 film version of The Crucible did a better job accurately and believably portraying the characters. Specific characters such as Abigail Williams are better portrayed in the written version. The written version also more accurately and believably portrays the characters as a whole. Some may argue that the film version has a better portrayal of the characters because of its immaculate job characterizing Reverend Parris. Arthur Miller’s original written version of The Crucible did a superior job portraying the characters as understandable to the readers, especially in the case of historical accuracy, than the 1996 film version did because it provides a more historically accurate portrayal of Abigail Williams, provides key background information for the most important characters, and provides more information and description for the characters as a whole, yet the film

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